Does anyone get anxious/have a panic attack the day after drinking alcohol? I am not an alcoholic, just a social drinker with GAD and panic attacks. I went out with friends last evening and had a wonderful time...had drinks, dinner, danced, etc. Today, I am a little hungover and feel like I am on the verge of a major panic attack. I don't know why I get like this. I don't know anyone else who suffers like this after a night out. Just wondering if this is a symptom of the alcohol withdrawal??? Thanks so much for any input!!

I get this alot! And my panic is always porpotional to how much I drank the night before. It doesn't matter how many glasses of water I drink before bed, or if I ate a good dinner.
I wish I could be like my friends who just get a headache, or a bad belly. I get super spacey, clausophobic, breathing problems kind of panic.

I used to never get this, even after the hardest nights of drinking. I posted this same subject in another post, I was wondering if anyone had any tips to relieve this. Like drinking a certain kind of tea or something else to eliminate the toxins from alcohol.

No, but I get depressed the day after, even after just one drink. My solution? Don't drink at all!! It might not seem fair that I can't go out and have one drink with friends, but at least I'm not at risk for becoming an alcoholic. So it's a mixed blessing.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I don't feel so bad now. I did read on the net that hangovers can cause anxiety and depression, but none of my friends get this. Of course, they don't have anxiety either. I agree, this condition really stinks-- can't even go out and have fun without regretting it the next day.

I've found that taking a good dose of a quality fish oil in the a.m. helps. Then I eat something and take a multi high in the B vit. Then pure magnesium (not mixed with calcium). It really does help, and NOT just when you're hungover.

And I ask my friends..."doesn't it freak you out to feel like this", they tell me they just try not to dwell on how they are feeling! (Unlike all of us who suffer from anxiety problems---we dwell on everything!)

Hey all - I read a book about anxiety/panic disorder that said that the reason you feel panic after a night of drinking is the change in your blood sugar levels brought on by drinking and your body metabolizing the alcohol. Essentially, the book recommends that you keep your blood sugar level even at all times by eating a healthy diet in six small meals a day instead of three large ones. There is really too much info. in this book to reduce it to a post, but if you want to give it a try the book is called "Panic Attacks - A natural approach" by Shirley Trickett. I am almost forty, mother of six sons & currently have a foster daughter with us, so obviously, I am not going out and partying much , and I don't know if I could have stuck to the advice in this book back in my college days, but even if you don't like the diet suggestions, etc. in it, there are alot of comforting facts that make you feel like you are not alone. Hope this helps, Marirose

Thanks for the tips...I will definitely try the vitamins and see how that works. I'm sure I dwell on how I'm feeling way to much, but sometimes it's just uncontrollable. I try not to, but my brain is automatically conditioned from being anxious all these years. Anxiety is a horrible horrible condition.

Thanks for the tips...I will definitely try the vitamins and see how that works. I'm sure I dwell on how I'm feeling way to much, but sometimes it's just uncontrollable. I try not to, but my brain is automatically conditioned from being anxious all these years. Anxiety is a horrible horrible condition.

If you were the type that "dwelled on your feelings too much" you wouldn't be out having fun with your friends!! Your pals don't sound too supportive. Your brain is programmed that way because of experience. It's trying to tell you something.

Does anyone get anxious/have a panic attack the day after drinking alcohol? I am not an alcoholic, just a social drinker with GAD and panic attacks. I went out with friends last evening and had a wonderful time...had drinks, dinner, danced, etc. Today, I am a little hungover and feel like I am on the verge of a major panic attack. I don't know why I get like this. I don't know anyone else who suffers like this after a night out. Just wondering if this is a symptom of the alcohol withdrawal??? Thanks so much for any input!!

Boy, I'll tell you I'm glad I saw your post Back in the day I use to be able to put away a 12 pack of beer in one night, wake up the next morning feeling fine. Somewhere down the line I developed an anxiety disorder, and suddenly before I knew it two or three beers would give me an extreme panic attack the next day. I'm talking a HAIL MARY MOTHER MERCY attack! It scared the beejus out of me cause Anxiety CAN be a symptom of alcohol withdrawal and I thought oh my god I'm going to get the DT's (Delirium tantrums). Which at the same time didnt' make sense to me cause I never drank more than 1 or 2 nights a week, and usually you have to be drunk 24/7 to be at risk for the DT's. I also never had any physical symptoms of withdrawal (the shakes, the sweats) so that was also baffling to me why I was feeling so anxious. So, I asked my doctor about it, and he basically explained how anxiety sufferers are at an increased risk for major anxiety the day after a night of drinking.

So, I still enjoy the occasional good drink, but I definately have started drinking much more in moderation (which is probably a good thing).

Wow, what a coincidence!. I just started drinking again (off and on) for the first time in 2 years and I was wondering the exact same thing. I'll throw back a 6-pack of Coors, smoke a whole pack of Swisher Sweet blunts and end up with a hangover followed by panic and anxiety all the next day and sometimes the day after that too. What an eye-opener this thread has been. I thought Iwas going nuts or something!.

HEY GUYS,
this was also my experience for many years, also i would feel heavily depressed after too, what i worked out was that i was allergic to sugar and alcohol was such a rush to my blood sugar levels that it was impossible for me to have a drink .. since then i have cut out all sugar because i get such cravings for it and in fact the only type of sugar i eat is low sugar fruits as even bananas can make me hyper sensitive xxxpipxxx

The day after a heavy drinking weekend set my anxiety attacks off!! I couldn't believe it, I thought I was going to die! I even went to the emergency room for my first one. I didn't know what was going on. I thought for sure i was having heart problems. I constantly checked my pulse and everything. Weeks after my first one I kept drinking again and at work the next day I felt so off. I would get mini attacks at my desk and have to get up and walk around. It just felt like I was fading away. Like my breathing was off. So then after a few weeks, I had headaches, body twitches, shooting pains, and fear of bad health. I thought I had every disease. So when things came back normal I felt better. Now it's June and I hope my anxiety will diminish now since I got all my blood tests back. So yeah I went through the same thing. I think we can all relate!

I had the worst day ever after a night of drinking, something I had always been able to enjoy before. I was hungover, then drank like three Mountain Dews, let me tell you that was the worst day so far, knock on wood, that was the worst. I was in full fledged panic for like 12 hours, I took showers, I even had to talk to myself and sing with happy songs to make myself feel better, it was awful. I felt so sick. Now I really watch it, no caffine, and for the first time in five months I am able to enjoy a few beers. I do wonder if my mind stops me becasue of that awful day?